Road-making machine.



E. T. SUTHERLAND.

ROAD MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man APR. 7. 1913.

Patented June 29, 1915.

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EIVIIL T. SUTHERLAND, OF IRON RIVER, MICHIGAN.

ROAD-MAKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 19115.

Application filed April 7, 1913. Serial No. 759,525.

' chines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. i

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in road making machines, and

more particularly to a log road making ma chine wherein ice tracks are provided, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will in one operation form the tracks and road and supply water thereto for freezing.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing a device which levels the road atthe same time the tracks are provided and removes the snow and dirt to the sides of the tracks after forming the latter, and a still further object residesin providing a device which is simple and durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and one which will be very eflicient and use- ,ful in operation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanyingdrawingforming a part of this application,'Figure 1 is aside elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, with a portion of the tank removed. Fig. 3 is a. perspective view of the plow with the track forming members carried thereon; and Fig. 4 is a similar view of one of the knives or track forming members removed.

In describing my invention, I shall refer to the drawing in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which '1 designates a sleigh composed of two pairs of runners 2 and 3, of the usual or any desired size and shape, and suitably connected by means of the rods 4 and chains 5. Mounted on each pair of runners and eX- tending transversely thereacross, is a bolster 6, a forward pair of runners having suitably connected thereto the pole 7. The double tree 8 is carried on said pole, whereby suitable draft devices may be applied to the machine.

Suitably mounted forward of the rear sleigh shoe 3, is the V-shaped plow or the like 9 which, when the machine is applied to use, extends across the road-way and has the free ends of the shares thereof projected beyond the sides of the runners. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the flexible connections 5, which are in the form of chains, are secured at one of their ends to the forward ends of the rear runners 3 and to the faces of the plow, while the other ends of the chains are secured to the bolster on the front runners 2 and these connections are crossed as clearly shown in Fig. 2, thus permitting the rear runners 3 to be properly guided with respect to the front runners 2, as the device is propelled. Adjustably secured on each of the shares of the plow 9, is a knife or track former 1.0 which, as the device is propelled along the road-way, forms the desired track. These knives 10 are, of course, secured on the shares in the same longitudinal plane as the runners, the space between the two knives being the universal tread of sleighs and other vehicles for road forming devices. In securing the knives to the plow, I have provided a pair of blocks 9. These blocks are V-shaped in cross-section and dispose the front faces of the knives in a plane angular to the plane of the shares ofthe plow. The knives are provided with a longitudinal slot 10. Bolts and nuts 10 are carried by the blocks 9' and these in connection with the slot 10' form a locking and adjusting means for the knives. It can be easily seen that upon adjusting the knives various depths may be attained. As the device is propelled along the road-way, all undesired turf, snow and the like is removed by the plow 9 and thrown toward the outer free ends of the arms thereof as is also the dirt and the like which is removed from the road-way in the formation of the tracks by the knives or members 10.

Mounted for pivotal movement on the bolsters 6 is a tank 11, the rear end of whichis provided with a pair of sprinkling nozzles 12. As the device is propelled and the tracks are formed in the roadway, water from the tank 11 is permitted to flow from the nozzles 12 into the tracks so formed and when the water in said tracks freezes, it will be seen that ice tracks will be provided which are extremely desirable in the hauling of logs in frozen zones. If desired, the

sleigh used for forming the tracks with form a track through the snow wider than the usual width of logging sleds. It is also designed to out ruts or tracks in the snow left upon-the surface of the road for the runnersof th'e'logging sleds and ice these ruts or tracks. Inasmuch as this machine carries a relatively heavy tank nearly filled with water, which tank will press down very deeply upon the sled runners, it is necessary that the plow shall be free from rigid connection with either the front or the rear pairs of runners, as otherwise the plow would be forced down too deeply into the snow and would take off too large a mass of snow so that the rut cutters would cut into the earth. It will be seen therefore that the plow in not connected to the rear pair" of runners, but is disposed in front of them, and that it is only flexibly connected with the front pair of runners. The plow is kept to its work, however, by the chains which pass over the upper portion of the plow and to the rear runners. The weight of the plow, however, controls to a Very largeextent' its depth of cut.

The plow is disposedimmediately in front of the rear runners so that the rut or track cutters 10 shall be immediately in front of and in alinement with the forward ends of the rear runners so that the rear runners shall track in the ruts formed by the cutters 10. It will be noted that these cutters are disposed at rightangles to the line of draft, and therefore at an angle to the wings or shares" of the plow. cutters push thesnow ahead of them gradually piling the snow in front of the cutters and this piled up snow gradually passes under the cutters and is packed by the relatively heavily weighted rear runners so as to form a relatively solid mass of snow at the bottom of each track or rut: This of each rutisafterward'wetted by the water Thus these.

from the tank and freezes solidly, thereby providing a relatively deep track or rut along which the log sleds may run. This track or rut is' not deep enough to interfere with the easy forward movement of the log sleds, but is just deep enough to keep the log sleds in position so that the power of the draft animals may be used entirely for the purpose of drawing the sleds forward. It is to be noted that the chains 5 leading from the forward sled to the runners' of the rearsled are crossed, and that the chains leading from the forward sled to the wings or shares of the plow are also crossed. This construction is necessary in order that the rear sledmay track properly in turning curves, and that the plow, while flexibly connected may at the same'time be kept" in" such position that the cutters 10 will at all'times be kept immediately in front ofthe rear runners? From the foregoing it will be' seenl 'thatr have provided a simple, inexpensive and efficient means for carrying out the objects of the invention 3 and while Ij-have 'p'a rtic'u larly described the elements bestadapted to perform the functions set forth, it is ob the plow extending laterally beyond the runners of the reair sl ed, and nut cutters mounted on'the plow sharesimmediately in front of the rear runners: v

2. A road machine 'inclu'dingforward and rear sleds, each having 'a' pair of runners, said-sleds being flexiblyconnected with'each other, a V shap'ed plow" disposed between the forward and rear sleds flexibly connected with the forw rd sled and having vertical movement" independent of the rear sled, the shares of theplow extendinglat I era'lly' beyond the i runners of the rear sled,

and rut cutters disposed immediately in front of the rear r nners and mounted on the shares of the plow, said cutters being disposed with their forward" faces at right angles to the line of' draftl 3. A road'machine includingforwardand rear sleds, crossedfconnectiens flexibly connecting the sleds tojeach other, a'v 'shaped plow disposed betweenthe forwardand'rear sled, crossed'connec'tions fl xibly connecting" the low to the forward sledythesfiares of the plow extending laterally beyond the In testimony whereof I hereunto afix my runners of the rear sled, and rut cutters signature in the presence of two Witnesses. mounted on the plow shares inward of the EMIL T. SUTHERLAND. ends of the shares, immedlately 1n front 5 of the rear runners, the faces of said cut- Witnesses:

ters being disposed at right angles to the WALTER DOWNEY, line of draft. JOHN McHALn.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). G. 

